SPRINGFIELD – Senator Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake) released the following statement in response to the Senate’s passage of a bipartisan, balanced budget:

“The budget passed by the Senate was responsibly balanced by including $600 million in reasonable pension savings and cuts to state administrative costs, while increasing investments to education, human services, public colleges and universities and transportation and infrastructure projects.

“We rejected the governor’s proposal to shift the state’s financial responsibilities to local governments, a plan that would have saved state tax dollars but would have required municipalities to raise property taxes to make up for the cost shift.

“The Senate’s budget includes more than 400 million in new dollars for K-12 schools and early childhood education and more than $46 million for College of Lake County, which will help reduce the property tax burden for Lake County residents and allow our students to get the best education possible.

“This budget includes funding to rebuild infrastructure that was damaged during last year’s floods and money to fund transportation projects that would help address traffic problems in Lake County. This budget is good for Lake County residents and I was proud to support it.”

SPRINGFIELD – Zion would be able to apply for tax breaks for housing nuclear waste under a measure from State Senator Melinda Bush that passed unanimously out of the Senate today.

“For years, Zion has shouldered the burden of housing spent nuclear waste—a burden that has led to a loss of jobs and tax revenue and 100 acres of lakefront property that has remained undeveloped,” Bush (D-Grayslake) said. “By adding spent nuclear waste sites to the list of qualifications for an enterprise zone, Zion can apply for tax breaks and incentives that can help attract new businesses to the area and make up some of the lost revenue.”

House Bill 156 adds inactive nuclear powered electrical generation sites as one of the possible three criteria that an area must meet to be certified as an enterprise zone, which would allow Zion to qualify for tax exemptions.

“It’s been 20 years since the Zion Nuclear Power Station was shut down, and the effects have been devastating for the community,” Bush said. “It’s time to provide some relief to Zion and help spur economic development in the area.”

Because the Zion nuclear plant is inactive, it does not qualify for tax exemptions for power-generating facilities. Currently, the plant in Zion is the only nuclear power plant in the state that’s no longer operating.

Todayy, I had two amazing, smart young women join me at the Capitol as my pages for the day. Ellen, a 17-year-old junior at Grayslake High School who is interested in becoming a judge, and Savannah, a 15-year-old freshman at Bloomington High School who is interested in journalism and theater. It was so great to have them join me. They both have very bright futures ahead of them!